It is one of the quintessential sights of the Wimbledon championships, the
spire of St Mary’s Church as seen from the courts of the All-England Lawn
Tennis Club.

But that view, loved by generations of tennis fans, is under threat from the ravages of the British weather.

In fact, during next year’s championships the spire may well not be visible at all, as it is planned it will be covered in scaffolding ahead of a major restoration programme.

The distinctive spire, designed by George Gilbert Scott, the Victorian architect, is in danger of collapse and with repairs likely to cost more than £100,000, the church is now in a race to raise the funds and prevent the spire from disappearing from the skyline forever.

Parishioners at St Mary’s Church have launched an appeal to raise money to save the historic 200ft spire, which has stood as a SW19 landmark for over 170 years.

They are hoping their fundraising efforts will receive a boost from some of the players who have graced the championship fortnight over the years.

The Rector of St Mary’s, the Reverend Mary Bide said: “We haven’t approached any players or former players yet with specific requests for donations, but they certainly would be welcome. I’m sure some of them will contribute, because the spire is such a feature of the Wimbledon landscape.

“Our congregations are very generous in funding the upkeep of the church buildings, but it’s a challenge when the bills for repairs are so high. That’s why we’re now appealing to the wider public to help us save the spire.”

Rainwater has already caused some damage to the main timber frame beneath the spire, which is clad in thousands of cedar wood shingle roof tiles, many of which have become rotten and must be replaced, along with the wooden battens to which they are nailed.

The church’s congregation donated more than £200,000 last year to pay for repairs to the church roof, but more is now needed.

Rev Bide said: “If we don’t act quickly, the water will get in more and make the repairs even more costly.”